The invention disclosed herein relates generally to apparatus for communicating digital data, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for asynchronous one way communication from one computing device to another requiring minimum hardware and minimum computing device overhead.
The use of microprocessors and microcomputers for performing a wide variety of data processing tasks, particularly in conjunction with equipment control applications, is rapidly expanding. An increasing number of such applications utilize microprocessors or microcomputers at various separated locations in a total system. It is often necessary for one such microcomputer to communicate data to another.
Communication between computing devices requires both program capacity and memory capacity. Since the capacity of a microcomputer is limited, it is desirable that the transmitting and/or receiving operations require a minimum amount of computing power and storage.
To at least some extent, the data communication burden on a microcomputer can be relieved through the use of external devices, interfaces and circuitry. However, it is also desirable that the complexity and cost of the external portions of the communication link be minimized.
The applicant has provided a unique, simple and low cost method and apparatus for achieving digital data communication from one microcomputer to another. Both the burden placed on the microcomputer and the amount and complexity of external circuitry are minimized.